KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Japan will provide $9.4 million to strengthen counter-narcotics capacities for vulnerable people in Afghanistan, while the Netherlands has contributed €16 million ($18.29 million) to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, UN agencies announced on Thursday.
In a statement, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said the Japanese grant, signed with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will support tens of thousands of people, including former poppy-growing families and those affected by drug use.
According to the statement, the two-year project, titled “Strengthening Counternarcotics Capacities for Vulnerable People,” will run from September 2026 to September 2028 in the provinces of Badakhshan, Badghis, Helmand, Kandahar and Takhar.
The initiative seeks to improve the well-being and resilience of vulnerable rural populations who previously relied on income from poppy cultivation by promoting sustainable alternative livelihoods. It also aims to expand evidence-based drug prevention and treatment services for people suffering from drug use disorders or at risk of drug use.
UNODC said the project is expected to benefit around 8,000 former poppy-growing households, or about 56,000 people, through alternative livelihood interventions. An additional 45,000 people at risk of or affected by drug use disorders are to receive prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration support.
“UNODC highly values the continued commitment of the Government of Japan in addressing the complex challenges of illicit drug economies and drug use in Afghanistan,” said Polleak Ok Serei, UNODC Country Representative for Afghanistan. “By combining alternative livelihoods, drug use prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and international cooperation, this project promotes practical and sustainable solutions that support healthier, safer, and more resilient communities.”
Separately, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced the €16 million contribution from the Netherlands to the UN-run Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund. In a post on X, OCHA welcomed the funding, saying it helps deliver life-saving assistance and support to people in need across the country.
The pledges come as Afghanistan faces a severe and protracted humanitarian crisis. Millions of people continue to struggle to meet basic needs amid prolonged economic hardship, recurring natural disasters, reduced international assistance and the large-scale return of Afghans from neighboring countries.
Nearly 22 million people in Afghanistan are expected to need humanitarian assistance this year, according to the UN, with women and children among the most vulnerable. The U.N. has appealed for $1.71 billion to fund its humanitarian response in Afghanistan this year. As of early August, the appeal was about 26% funded, OCHA said. The funding gap has raised concerns among humanitarian agencies about their ability to maintain essential assistance as needs remain high across the country.
